Shutdown: Federal Prosecutions Hampered

The federal prosecutor for southern Illinois says the partial government shutdown is starting to affect his ability to do his job.

U.S. Attorney Stephen Wigginton says about 35% of his staff is on furlough because of the shutdown. But more importantly, he says, agents from the FBI, Drug Enforcement Agency, and other federal law enforcement outfits are out of work as well.

“Yesterday I had a meetings scheduled with an investigative agency who’s investigating a corruption case in Metro East area, and that investigation is stalled right now because the investigators are furloughed and couldn’t come to my office. So we couldn’t proceed, we couldn’t have a plan of action.”

Wigginton says he’s not sure that people realize how far the impact of the shutdown extends.